Conquer Your To-Do List
I recently shared my To Do List with a friend. I had a long list. A few projects would require hours. There were projects that would require other’s help. Then there were items from previous lists.
Even my optimism and lofty expectations were no match for what I felt I needed to accomplish. I finally had to admit my list was overwhelming.
The conversation changed when we started looking on the bright side.
- The good news is I had a written list. Statistics suggest that people with written goals are far more likely to achieve those goals than those who have never written them down.
- My friend was very practical when he said, “Not everything has to be done right away.” That was liberating!
- He also said, “Decide to do what is necessary and avoid doing the things that are unnecessary.” I realized some things I thought needed action right away were not urgent.
That reminded me of what Stephen Covey pointed out in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Tasks can be categorized by important and unimportant, and urgent and not urgent.
| Important | Unimportant | |
| Urgent | Important/Urgent | Unimportant/ Urgent |
| Not Urgent | Important/Not Urgent | Unimportant/Not Urgent |
Covey said to focus efforts on doing things that are both important and urgent. Give the least attention to things that are unimportant and not urgent.
I reexamined my list and realized I had misplaced priorities. Once properly categorized, I felt more confident. I could see myself accomplishing more in less time.
- Finally, we talked about my motivation in wanting to accomplish some tasks. Once I knew the answer to “why” I wanted to do some things, I became more inspired to take action.
- I often remember what another good friend asks, “How do you eat an elephant?”
The answer is, “One bite at a time.”
More good news: My list does not look so daunting. I am confident I will make a lot of progress on the most important and most urgent items during the next few weeks.
Today, I took action by sorting through some old files. In a few hours, I set up some new files, generated a banker’s box full of papers to shred, and had another full box to be recycled.
Fear not. Now, it is your turn.
Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.
